So I've got this Ka-Bar with a Kydex sheath, contemplating how I'm going to wear the thing (there are so many options!) If a picture is worth a thousand words, let's write a book on the subject!
sog Ive seen alot of posts on the k-bar. its a great knife thats been around for a while. on the other hand the blade is made with some really cheap metal. have you explored SOG these knifes are made for the navy seals . there kind of exspensive, but you need to only buy one. the sog seal has been through testing like fire, salt water, and bending. SOG rules knifes hands down. research
I have a few ka-bars although I don't use them much. Newer gen models. Not to start fight but: If we're talking about the best (and I don't mean most expensive)... There are many knives that I would consider to be of much better quality and design than a SOG.
I have a k-bar set up on my load-bearing Y harness. I take no credit for it--my dad set up for me....said it was just like he had in Vietnam. The only difference between the pic below and what I had is that he set mine upside down (and I don't have any grenades). You can pop it open with a thumb and just pull down. No fiddling around. Some of those new K-bars would be too long though (I think).
I used to carry mine on my pistol belt, with a smaller, survival knife, upside down on my harness. The K-Bar always seemed a little long for the harness, particularly when sitting down.
I've had a KBar for 25 years of with multiple combat deployments measured in years and lots of field time, not to mention personal time in the woods. It's done everything I've expected of it without a problem. It stays sharp enough to shave with. I carry it on a pistol belt in an aftermarket sheath. The only thing I did special was to make the grip a little larger by putting one layer of 550 cord with the the guts removed around the length of the handle.
Had Ks in the "Crotch" and they served well. A friend gave me a Gerber sheath that is comparable to a K but just a bit shorter. Super knife, good balance, stays sharp, and the contoured handle fits perfectly.
Though a Marine, Ka- Bars are not my favorite knives. Of course I have one, but I greatly prefer Benchmade. I have to repudiate the shout out to SOG knives. I have three. I wanted to like them, I don't like any of them. There is nothing about any SOG knife I have ever used that would make me like it much more than a Frost Cutlery knife.
Ka-Bar steel isn't as hard as others which makes it easier to sharpen. I prefer no top hilt which gives a little better control using a modified saber or Filipino where the thumb is on the spine. Knife Grip Tactics, Techniques, Styles, and Hand-sizing the custom knife by Jay Fisher Nice pictures of the saber and Filipino; but too pretty and costly a knife to grind on. I've never heard of RGEO or RGEI; I am more familiar with reverse icepick and icepick respectively.
I have a little bit of a knife fetish. Because of this, I've obtained Randalls, Chris Reeves, etc.... despite all those expensive, well made options, I still have a Marine Combat Knife around. You can't beat the quality for the price. I want a kydex sheath, so I can throw it in the truck without worrying about rust. (Mine is an Ontario BTW. Not a Ka-Bar.)
